There was a time when companies thought their most important asset was their employees. They treated their employees as if this was the case (at least Hughes did) until the accountants and business majors took over running the companies. Now, employees seem to be treated as if they are a financial liability. I suppose the accountants and business majors can write the software that flies the jets today.
I've seen it. I worked in the same position for 26.5 years. For the last ten we were basicly told every three months that we might lose our jobs any minute. I was damned good at what I did. Industry people from all over southern California told me I was in the top two or three at what I did. Finally I took a promotion that I knew would go nowhere, spent two years there and was laid off.
In my career I spent close to $70 million dollars and ran a 98.5% plus compliance compared to industry norms of 85 to 95%.
This is the business environment in which we live today. The best long term employees are harassed to the point they leave, their positions given to someone who'll do the job for two or three dollars less per hour. The funny thing is, management never seems to understand that kaos and sub-par performance are going to go along with the process. That' isn't a put down to the person who replaces. It's just that you can't obtain 26.5 years worth of experience in thirty days.
In the last two years at my primary job, I witnessed about 66% of long term staff forced out. This concern lost thousands of years worth of savey and competence, and never batted an eyelash.